India imports some raw materials such as neon gas,
C4F6, palladium, rhodium and titanium for
semiconductor manufacturing from Russia and
Ukraine. Due to the Russia - Ukraine war, the supply
chain got disrupted. This created global scarcity for
these raw materials and hence the prices were
increased.
The chip-making industry is electricity and water-
intensive. Moreover, the semiconductor
manufacturing process also releases toxic gases and
chemicals.Today, India has a decent chip design talent but it
never built up chip fab capacity. The ISRO and the
DRDO have their respective fab foundries but they are
primarily for their own requirements. With rising
demand and frequent supply chain disruptions recently
caused by the pandemic and geopolitical tensions
exposing its vulnerability, there is no choice left for India
but to become self reliant.
CHALLENGES :
CONCLUSION :
India can become a global semiconductor hub in the near
future, now as India is more welcoming to chipmakers
than ever before. India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) will
develop a sustainable semiconductor and display
ecosystem. But Ukraine crisis can delay India’s
semiconductor dream.
-Pranay Parwarkar
(ELECTRONICS 4th year)